The Curse of the Black Mage
by SONofAPOLLOx
Summary: Jack and his friends must go on a quest to take a valuable item. They succeed, but when they come back, soldiers of Victoria Island get cursed, and Jack and his friends must stop them. Will they succeed in their quest or will they die trying?
1. I Choose to Become a Bowman

**(A/N: Well, this is my sequel to Stuck in Maplestory. Sorry I haven't started it sooner. I couldn't think of a title. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this first chapter!)**

**The Curse of the Black Mage**

**Chapter 1: I Choose to Become a Bowman**

In front of me was a huge ship. It had huge white sails flapping in the wind and orange mushroom caps at the top of the sails. The ship was decorated with beautiful colors; blue, white, yellow, orange, and lots of others. My friends and I stared at awe, excpet Merlin.

"Well, this ship hasn't changed at all since I went to Victoria Island," Merlin muttered. "It seems quite boring that it's the same…"

"Everyone, come aboard!" a sail man called. We started to walk towards the ship, but then a man stopped us.

" Hello, I am Shanks. And to get on my ship, you must pay one hundred fifty mesos," Shanks ordered. Merlin handed him the recommendation letters and walked towards the ship.

"Why is everyone getting recommendation letters," Shanks muttered. "I want mesos." My friends and I started following Merlin. We got on the ship and sat down on our green Relaxers. Soon, the ship started to move. I went to the front of the ship and saw a waterfall.

"Merlin, why are we going to suicide?" I asked. Merlin chuckled, "Don't worry lad. You'll see what happens." Then the ship reached the waterfall. It started to tilt and I made a small yelp. But then, the ship started to float in mid-air. I was awed.

"How does a ship fly?" I called over the wind.

"It has wings, and has a high powered engine," Merlin answered. "Don't worry, it could hold a ton of weight to make it fall." I walked back to my friends and sat down next to Jennie.

"All right everyone, what job do you wish to have?" Merlin asked.

"I want to be a Pirate," John answered.

"A Warrior," Matthew chimed in.

"A Thief, I guess," Jennie said. Everyone looked at her, confused.

"A Thief? Not many girls are Thieves," Merlin warned her.

"I know, but it sounds interesting," Jennie answered. Merlin shrugged, "Well then Jack, what job do you want?"

"A job?" I asked. Merlin nodded, "There are Bowmen, Magicians, Pirates, Thieves, and Warriors. Choose, but choose wisely. You only get one chance at this." I thought for a moment, and everyone stared at me. Merlin stared at me the hardest. He wanted me to become a Magician.

"A bowman," I answered. Merlin nodded a bit disappointed, "Good choice. Bowmen must have strength and dexterity." All of a sudden, a sail man yelled, "I see land!" It was Victoria Island. Then, the flying ship landed softly on the water. The sail men rolled the ladders down along the ship, allowing the other travelers to climb down and land safely on the stone pavement. I climbed down and landed on the ground. The stone ground was smooth under my hands. I got back to my feet and my other friends landed on the pavement.

"We're at Lith Harbor," Merlin said. The town was huge. It was probably bigger than Southperry and Amherst combined. But it was definitely more loud and populated. There were hundreds of people walking around the town.

"All right everyone, I will give you two thousand mesos. You ride a taxi and go wherever you need to go, and meet everyone back at Henesys," Merlin ordered, handing everyone a sack of mesos. The old wizard led us to a taxi and said, "I will go with Jack."

"Wait Merlin, why does it have to be at Henesys?" John asked. "Why not Nautilus?"

"Or Perion?" Matthew asked.

"Because it will be easier to find each other," Merlin muttered. "Now get on a taxi." Merlin and I both got on a white cab. The seats were made out of black leather.

"Where do you wish to go?" the driver asked.

"To Henesys please," Merlin answered, handing him a hundred mesos. The driver nodded and drove away.

Soon, we arrived at Henesys. It was a busy town, but I suppose a peaceful one, too. It was sunny in Henesys and the heat was immense. A bead of sweat appeared on my forehead.

"Follow me," Merlin ordered. He walked away and I quickly followed. We weaved through the walking citizens. We passed by big mushroom houses and soldiers with spears. Soon, we got to the job advancement house. But it looked like a regular house in Henesys, nothing too special.

"Go in," Merlin ordered. I entered the door and saw a lady, holding a bow. She had long, golden, braided hair and expensive clothes. All around us was targets with arrows stuck in them.

"Who are you?" the lady asked.

"I am Jack," I answered.

"I am Athena Pierce, the leader of the archers," Athena Pierce replied. "Do you wish to become a bowman?" I nodded.

"Come, hold my hands," she ordered. I followed her orders and held her hands. Her hands were soft and cool. Then, she started to chant a foreign language. When she had finished, I felt a rush of power enter my body. I felt stronger, and my senses were increased. I heard the soft breathing of the lady and the light breeze outside. Athena smiled, "Go now, and show the world the greatness of the archers." I nodded, "Thank you, ma'am." I was about to leave when Athena said, "Wait, I have a quest for you."

**(A/N: I finished! Well, I hope you didn't find it boring. Sorry it was sort of short. Well, I have to go now. Bye!)**


	2. My First Quest as a Bowman

**(A/N: I'm SO sorry for not updating sooner… School has started and there's a lot of homework. Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter. R&R!)**

**Chapter 2: My First Quest as a Bowman**

"I just became a bowman, though," I protested. "Shouldn't we wait until I become a stronger bowman? I mean, I might die."

"Jack, outside of this building is a wizard, and by the looks of him, he's a wise and strong wizard. I am sure you can pass this quest easily." I looked at her with a confused face, "How did you know Merlin was there?"

"A strong power radiates off of him, and I can feel it. You could to, if you tried," Athena Pierce said. "Now, some equipment you need is a bow, a skill book, and some new armor. Go to the shop and your new armor will be waiting for you. Come back to me when you want to start the quest." Athena Pierce handed me a new bow, which was neatly carved and painted blue. It was a bit small for me, though. Then, she handed me a huge book. She dropped it into my arms and I almost fell to the wooden floor from the heavy weight. I nodded my thanks and left the building. Outside, it was bright as ever, and the wind was refreshing as it swept past my face. I breathed in the cool air and walked towards Merlin, my old wizard friend. He smiled when he saw me, "Ah Jack, I was starting to get impatient. What took you so long?"

"Athena Pierce wants us to have a quest, which I don't want," I answered, dropping the heavy book onto the grassy ground. The book made a soft thud, and Merlin said, "Why is that? Quests are good for you. You can get more reputation, money, and you could get a higher ranking." Merlin started to explain more but I cut him off, "All right, I understand. Athena Pierce told me to get new armor. Do you know where the store is?"

"Hold my hand," Merlin simply said. I grabbed his hand. Because he was an old man, his hands felt wrinkly and bony. Anyway, Merlin muttered a spell and in a flash, we landed on a wooden floor safely. I looked around and saw bows, arrows, and much other equipment. I ran all around the room, inspecting each bow. My favorite bow was the Dragon Shiner Bow. In the center of the bow was a golden dragon's head, and the rest of the bow was painted all gold, or maybe made out of real gold. Beside the dragon head was golden wings, so the bow looked like a dragon head with wings poking out at its sides. I was about to touch it until someone said, "No touching, unless you want to buy it." I looked around and saw a man. He looked old, with gray hair and wrinkly skin. He must've been the merchant.

"If you want to buy it, it will be… let's just say a lot," the seller replied.

"No, we do not wish to buy it; we only need armor sir," Merlin answered, "for beginner archers."

"Ooh, are you the one that Athena Pierce mentioned?" the old man asked. "I have the armor, but maybe you could tip me." Merlin sighed, and handed the greedy man an extra five mesos. The man looked annoyed, "Only this much?" Merlin nodded, "If you do not want it, I can always take it back." The man shook his hand with disappointment, "Fine, here's your armor." The man handed us the armor and handed it to Merlin, who passed it to me.

"Put it on, boy," Merlin ordered. The armor consisted of a green winter hat, a green archer's top, green hard leather boots, and archer's pants. It didn't seem stronger than my leather armor, but I shrugged and took my leather armor off. I quickly slipped my new "armor" on. It was nice and light, and I could run a lot faster with this armor.

"Let's make sure they didn't curse it," Merlin muttered. The old wizard muttered a spell and a blue claw appeared out of nowhere and slashed at my armor. I only staggered backwards and expected a huge gash on my stomach, but there was none and I was unhurt.

"Your old armor would have been too weak to block that attack, while that armor can," Merlin said. "It has a spell on it that can block certain attacks Jack. Don't doubt any kind of armor." I nodded, "This armor is great." Merlin smiled, "I thought so. Now come, we have to get back to Athena Pierce." We exited the building and teleported back to Athena's home. I entered while Merlin stayed outside, waiting for my other friends. The inside of the building was the same, and Athena Pierce was sitting at her desk.

"Ah, you have come back. Have you decided to accept the quest, or decline it?" the archer asked.

"I choose to accept," I answered. Athena Pierce nodded with approval, "Good, now your quest is to take the Mirror of Insight one of the Dual Blades most prized possessions."

"Who are the Dual Blades?" I asked curiously.

"They are a group of highly trained ninjas who pretend to be on the Dark Lord's side. They always try to overthrow the thief instructor, but so far, they have failed. So, the Dark Lord needs help and wants you to steal their mirror. Without it, they might not have the power to stop the Dark Lord," Athena Pierce explained. I nodded, "All right, then where is the Dual Blades' hideout?"

"In Kerning City. There, you will meet one of the Dark Lord's apprentices and he will show you to the Secret Garden. Now go, the taxi will be free for your party." I nodded with a small bow and exited the building. When I stepped outside, I saw my friends, all with new armor. But I had noticed something, Jennie wasn't there.

"Hey Jack, like my new armor?" John asked, showing off his armor. His armor was a torn, striped overall with a brown lagger slipper. He wore a light brown bandana and had a small pistol strapped at his side. He did not look nice.

"Eh… yeah, I like it," I muttered. When I looked Matthew, he had a mithril koif, a blue lolico pants, blue lolico armor, and sandals. He had a long sword strapped at his side and he looked tired. He also had a wooden buckler strapped to on his back.

"How about me?" Matthew asked. "Do I look better than John?"

"No, you look the same," I lied. Matthew definitely looked better, but I didn't want to hurt John's feelings.

"Anyway, Jack has something to tell you," Merlin said. John and Matthew stared at me.

"We're having a quest, a hard one," I answered.

**(A/N: Well, I hope it was more descriptive, but not boring. Moon, if you say too much description… then oh well… Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Again, I'm sorry I haven't updated in so long. Please review!)**

**-APOLLOxx0909**


	3. The Secret Garden

**(A/N: I'm so sorry for not updating sooner. Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please forgive me!)**

**Chapter 3: The Secret Garden**

"What quest do you have to do?" John asked curiously.

"We have to steal the Mirror of Insight from the Dual Blades," I answered. "And Athena Pierce told me there base is in Kerning City. How about you, do you have any quests?" Matthew nodded, "It's the same as yours." John had the same quest also.

"But where's Jennie? Shouldn't she be here?" I asked.

"She probably has a different quest. Anyway, let's just start the quest and head to Kerning. I can't wait," Matthew said eagerly, with a mischievous smile. Merlin nodded in agreement, "Yes, we must go. Quests should be put to action immediately. By the way Jack, I think you forgot this." The old wizard handed me a heavy book, which was my skill book, "You left it on the ground." Merlin gave me a small smile.

"Thanks, Merlin," I replied. "Well, let's go." We headed our way towards the center of the town, which was where the taxi was, and where it was the busiest. We tried to weave our way through the crowd, and I kept stuck in between fat people. Finally, we arrived at the taxi, but I see a girl, sitting on a bench. She had long, flowing brown hair, which was flying with the wind. She had brown eyes, and a beautiful face. She was reading a book, which I noticed as a skill book, an archer's skill book like mine. Beside her was a bow, like mine, and a barrel full of arrows. I stared at her as John teased me, "Ooh, do you like her?" I punched his arm, "Shut up."

"Why don't you ask her out, I mean ask her to our party?" John said with a playful smile.

"Why don't you go?" I growled.

"No thanks, you're going to lose your chance if you don't go," he replied. Then, Merlin came up, "Yes Jack, ask her to our party." I cursed under my breath, "Why always me?" I trudged up to her as she turned her head and faced me.

"Um…hello," I muttered, blushing slightly. She gave me a smile, which made her look more beautiful, "Hello, what do you need?"

"Will you join my party?" I asked. The girl nodded, "All right, sure."

"There are no duels?" I asked hopefully. She nodded again, "Duels are only for Islanders, Explorers don't have to. Well, where are you going? It seems like you and your party are going on a quest."

"To Kerning City, and yes, we are going o a quest," I answered. "Want to come along?"

"I have nothing to do, so I suppose so," she replied. She got up, grabbed her things, and followed me to the others. Everyone introduced each other, and I had found out her name was Samantha or Sammy for short. We boarded the taxi and told the driver to go to Kerning City. The white taxi sped away, and we soon arrived at the town. In Henesys it was very sunny, but here, there was only the sunset.

"It was said that the sun was enchanted here so that there will always be a sunset, "Merlin whispered. "Quite beautiful, isn't it?" I nodded in agreement. The sky was shaded with a light purple and red. It was quite a sight.

"All right, where's the helper?" John asked.

"Right here," a familiar voice said behind us. I glanced over my shoulder and saw Jennie, with a glove on her hand and a pack of throwing stars on her waist.

"Jennie!" John squealed with joy. He ran over to hug her, and Jennie hugged him back with a small smile, which made Matthew growl with anger. When they pulled away, the new thief asked, "Who is she?" Jennie was looking at Sammy.

"I'm Samantha, but you could just call me Sammy," Sammy answered. "I got invited to this party." Jennie nodded, "All right, now time to get the Mirror. Follow me, and don't get spotted by Ryden, he guards the entrance." We all nodded and silently followed Jennie. Her footsteps made no noise on the ground as we crept towards the man called Ryden. Ryden had a straw hat on top of his head, with old Japanese clothes. He also had wooden sandals and a long katana at his side. Behind him was a door that led to the Secret Garden.

"How do we get past him?" John asked.

"Like this." Jennie took out two throwing stars and threw them at Ryden's hat. It flew off his head and Ryden screamed, "MY HAT!"

"He's very fond of his straw hat," Jennie gave a smile giggle. As Ryden was trying to pull the straw hat off of the door, Merlin muttered a quick spell. With that, the Dual Blade was frozen. We quickly ran to the door, but Ryden was blocking the way. Matthew's super strength lifted Ryden up and placed him next to the door. Merlin ripped the straw hat off the door and placed it on Ryden's head, "There you go." We entered the secret entrance and in front of us was a huge building. It seemed like an old fashioned Japanese house. We silently opened the door to the garden as we saw a chubby man near the entrance.

"How do we get past this one?" Matthew asked. John pulled out to steel knuckles, "Never thought I had to use this." He ran towards the fat man and punched him with his knuckles. The man cried in pain as he was knocked out. We all entered as John put back his weapons, "I only use the pistol, from now on." Merlin silently chuckled as we crept into a long hall. Doors were all over the place, and there were fake fires for light. Japanese signs were splattered against the walls. We slowly entered one room, but it was a bad mistake. Another Dual Blade exited the room as we were about to enter. The man had a green mask on, owl earrings, and a white headband. The enemy took out a dagger and a katana.

"Intruders!" the man shouted. I quickly took out an arrow and fitted it onto my bowstring. I released as hit shot the man in the stomach. He groaned in pain and fell to the ground, dead. I looked at him in horror, "I… I didn't mean to kill him."

"No time to talk, more Dual Blades are coming," Merlin said. And he was right, and large group of enemies were coming, and we were surrounded.

**(A/N: Well, I can tell this is not one of my good chapters. Anyway, I still hope you liked it, but I won't be surprised if you said it was okay or bad. Please review!)**

**-APOLLOxx0909**


	4. The Mirror of Insight

**(A/N: Hello, fellow Maplers. Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that I will only be able to update on the weekends. So yeah, that's all. I hope you enjoy it and please review!)**

**Chapter 4: The Mirror of Insight**

The Dual Blades group had now surrounded us, and there was no way to escape. I pointed my arrow at one of them and was ready to release.

"We can't kill them all," John muttered. "It's impossible."

"Then, we escape," Merlin said. "Grab my hand." My friends and I held onto the old man's hand.

"What are you going to do?" Matthew asked. Merlin didn't answer and the Dual Blades charged us.

"We teleport away," Merlin muttered. As he said that, we appeared behind the group of masked men. We didn't stay to watch and we ran down the hallway. The corridor was endless and had numerous doors on each side. It was hopeless; we would never find the mirror. I sat on the ground and sighed. We were walking for a long time and I was losing hope.

"Come one Jack, no time to give up," Merlin ordered, grabbing my arm and helping me up. Then, a soft buzzing sound was heard in my ear. I looked around but saw nothing. I took a step forward and the buzzing gradually increased. The Mirror had power radiating from it, and we weren't too far.

"Follow me!" I yelled, running down the aisle, feeling the buzzing getting stronger and stronger. Finally, the noise in my ear had stopped completely. Beside me was a door. The Japanese letters were sprawled all across the entrance. And one of the pictures was a mirror.

"This is it," Sammy murmured.

"I wonder what the Mirror does," Jennie said thoughtfully.

"Well, we're just going to have to find out," Merlin said, trying to open the door. The door was locked which made Merlin sigh and rammed the door with his staff. The impact and magic forced the door to open, but to set off the alarms.

"Get the Mirror, now!" Merlin ordered. Merlin readied his staff and sword as a large group of Dual Blades appeared. John nodded, telling me that they would hold them off. I ran into the room and saw marbles. Each one had a mirror in it. The mirrors had a polished glass in the middle, to see your reflection, and it had a gold surrounding at the sides. I grabbed one marble and slammed it on the ground. The marble shattered into millions of pieces and I grabbed the Mirror. All of a sudden, the Dual Blades marched into the room with Merlin, John, Matthew, Jennie, and Sammy tied up, bruised and injured.

"No," I whispered.

"Give us the Mirror, if you don't want to see them die," one of them growled.

"Don't do it, Jack, don't," Merlin muttered. One of the enemies hit his head with the hilt of his sword, "Don't speak, fool." Merlin crumpled to the floor and groaned in pain. I stood their in shock. Merlin looked at me and murmured something. All of a sudden, my friends and the Dual Blades disappeared. I landed on a hard surface and looked around. I was still in the Secret Garden, but far away from Merlin. I sat on the ground and tears welled up in my eyes. I lost my friends and they probably were dead now. I wiped away the tears and stood up. Merlin would want me to finish the quest, even if it meant for him to die. I looked around but I did not recognize the place. I walked down the hall and searched for the exit. But the place was an endless maze and I started to lose hope again. I sighed but kept walking and soon, in front of me, were two huge doors. I silently opened one door in peered inside. I saw another Mirror of Insight, but this one was bigger and cleaner. I looked at my mirror and noticed it was a replica. But for some reason, the real Mirror didn't radiate any power. It must've been some trick. Anyway, I looked around some more to see if there were any guards. I saw two men, which were the guards, with two swords strapped onto their waist. In between them was a beautiful young lady. She had short, brown hair with blue eyes. She had a white cape flapping in the wind and white Japanese clothes. I couldn't take my eyes off of her as one of the guards said, "I hear something." The Dual Blade soldier walked towards where I was. I readied my bow and waited for him to come. When he was close enough, I jumped into the room and released my arrow. The arrow flew towards him, but luckily he dodged just in time. The other guard took out his swords and was next to his partner. The lady, which I guessed was the leader, sat on her throne and watched in amusement.

"Who are you, and what do you want?" one of the guards spat. I ignored their question and released another arrow. The enemy tried to dodge, but a small cut appeared on his arm. He hissed in anger and charged at me. I dropped my bow and took out my old sword. I blocked his attack and slashed at his stomach. A gash had been formed from my attack and the Dual Blade fell to his knees. I took out one of my arrows from the quiver and quickly stabbed his neck. He fell to the ground, blood pooling around him. The other guard muttered something and rushed at me with a barrage of slashes and stabs. I tried blocking his attacks but his swords danced at an unnatural speed. Several cuts had appeared on my arms and chest. I spat out some blood but stood up again. The guard lunged at me but I jumped backwards and grabbed my bow. I took out an arrow and released. The arrow met its mark and shot the guard's back. The Dual Blade groaned in pain and fell to the ground. I looked back at the leader and saw that she was smiling with amusement.

"You have good skill," she said, rising from her throne and walked towards me. I quickly fitted another arrow onto my bowstring and aimed it at her, but I knew I could never fire.

"Who…who are you?" I asked.

"Lady Syl," Syl answered. "And why don't I give you a kiss for defeating the guards?" I took a step back, knowing that she had a trick up her sleeve. Her lips might be poisoned, or she might have a dagger and stab me, the possibilities are endless. I gulped as she came closer to me. I was now cornered and I dropped my bow. I took out my sword and placed it under her chin, "Don't move." Lady Syl simply moved the sword out of her way and was now in front of me. Her face inched towards me and soon, she had kissed me. I didn't react; I just stood there, wanting it to last forever. The breath smelled of berries as I closed my eyes dreamily.

"Reaper Kiss," she murmured. I stared at her in shock as I felt all my power drain out of me. When she pulled away, I crumpled to the floor. I couldn't move, I was too weak to do anything.

"What…did you do?" I muttered.

"I took your all your power. The power that you own is extraordinary," she purred. She smiled at me as I blacked out.

* * *

I slowly opened my eyes to see that I was still in the same room. But Lady Syl wasn't alone. Merlin and my other friends had found me and were fighting Syl. Jennie and Sammy were lying on the ground, injured and weak. John was bruised all over his body and Matthew was too slow and kept missing his attacks. Lady Syl was a skilled fighter, with her hands. Somehow, she had managed to get John's steel knuckles and was punching and kicking at each of my friends. Merlin was also injured which had surprised me. If anyone could lay a finger on Merlin, they had amazing skill. I looked around and saw that my bow was several feet away from where I was. I slowly crawled towards it, and whenever I inched forward, I felt pain all over my body. But soon, I grabbed it and grabbed an arrow. With my remaining strength, I stood up and pulled back, ready to release. I took a deep breath, trying to keep my bow from shaking, and released. The arrow whistled in the air and shot Lady Syl's arm. While she was distracted, John and Matthew tackled her to the floor and pinned her down.

"Give me back my knuckles," I heard John growl. Merlin walked over to Lady Syl and ordered, "Give Jack his strength back or I'll cut your throat."

"Oh, but if you kill me, Jack will never get his strength back," Syl said playfully.

"And you'll never see the sun again," Merlin growled. Lady Syl sighed and pushed John and Matthew off her. She walked towards me and leaned to me. I grabbed her shoulder and said, "No more Reaper Kisses." She gave me a smile and kissed me. Soon, I felt my power come enter my body. I raised my arm with ease. I sighed in relief and gave Merlin a smile. John came running towards me and gave me a hug, "I thought you were dead, brother."

"Brother? Since when did we have the same last name?" I asked with a smile.

"A bond that strong is as strong as a brother's bond."

**(A/N: Finished the chapter! Don't worry; I'm not over with my story yet, except I think that my ending would be a pretty good story ender, but it doesn't matter. Anyway, I don't know what skills Lady Syl has, so I just thought of the kissing thing… Hope you don't think it was disgusting. Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thanks for reading!)**

**-APOLLOxx0909 **


	5. Curse on the Victorians

**(A/N: All right, this is my new chapter. Sorry I haven't updated in such a while… Hope you can forgive me. Well, enjoy!)**

**Chapter 5: Curse on the Victorians**

"Here, I'll give this to you," Lady Syl said, handing me the Mirror of Insight. "I know you need it for your quest. No adventurer comes here without a quest to take my Mirror." I accepted the Mirror and bowed, "Thank you, Syl."

"That's _Lady_ Syl," she said with a smile. "But, before you go, I must tell you one thing. With the Mirror, only I can see the future. There is a… problem in Victoria Island. Someone else will tell you once you arrive at Henesys. Now, if you shatter the Mirror, the Dual Blades will come to your aid, but you can only use it once. Now go, you have my blessing." She kissed my forehead and stepped back. She snapped her fingers and all of a sudden, she disappeared. Then, Jennie and Sam woke up from the knock out. Jennie grabbed a throwing star and growled, "Where is Syl, I'm going to kill her." Sam pushed her arm down, "She's gone, don't worry." Jennie noticed me and ran towards us.

"Ooh, a mirror," she said, trying to snatch the magical item out of my hand.

"This is the Mirror of Insight, don't touch," I ordered with a smile. But Sammy grabbed it out of my hand and looked at her reflection.

"I have to take a shower when I get home," she muttered, handing it back to me.

"All right, enough talk. We have to go home. Hold my hand," Merlin ordered. John immediately grabbed Jennie's hand and held onto mine. Sammy held onto my hand while Matthew hung onto Merlin's hand and we were ready to go. Jennie and Sammy's hands were soft and felt comfortable.

"To Kerning City," he muttered. All of a sudden, we landed on the concrete floor of the always-sun setting city. We found a regular taxi and hopped in. While Merlin told the driver where to go, Jennie asked, "Well, what happened when we were out?"

"Lady Syl kissed Jack," Matthew grunted, "very passionately." He gave Jennie a smirk and her nostrils flared.

"I swear I'm going to kill her next time I see her," the rogue growled. Sam giggled and chanted, "You like Jack." Jennie blushed but muttered, "Be quiet. I don't like him." Sammy smiled and teased her a bit more.

"Well, that's not the true story," Merlin muttered, and started to explain the whole story.

"No, Syl kissed Jack very passionately," Matthew chuckled, after Merlin was done with his side of the story. "And Jack enjoyed it." John and he started cracking up. I punched Matt's arm but it did no damage to him, due to his thick armor.

"Shut up," I growled. "You don't want to get hurt." They ignored me and kept teasing me until we got to Henesys.

I stepped out of the cab and stretched; having six people in one car is uncomfortable. Sam's legs were asleep and she stumbled onto me. I caught her just in time.

"Are… Are you okay?" I stammered, blushing a bright red color. She nodded and murmured, "Thanks. I…I have to go now. I'll see you later." She walked away with her long, brown hair whipping in the wind, and didn't look back, probably too embarrassed to.

"Ooh, I think she likes you, too," John whispered. I ignored him and said, "Well, we accomplished our mission; let's report back to Athena Pierce." We headed towards the job advancement building. We entered and saw Athena Pierce, waiting for us. I walked over to her desk, bowed, and handed her the Mirror.

"Good job, Jack. You did well," the bow master said quietly. She waved her hand and a large pack of mesos in a leather bag appeared in front of my party members and me.

"Jack, before you leave, I must tell you something. Citizens and some of the soldiers of Victoria Island have been…cursed I should say. They attack the non-cursed soldiers and adventurers. I need you and your friends stationed at Fort Victory for protection. I will be there also, so I will meet you soon," Athena explained. With a flick of her wrist, she disappeared.

"I wonder where she learned that," Merlin muttered. "Well Jack, please get Samantha to come with us and we'll be on our way. We can't get her cursed." I nodded and looked at my friends; each of them had a nervous look. I patted Matthew's armored shoulder and exited the door. Then, I started to look for Sam. I found her sitting on a crate in a market. She noticed my loud footsteps and smiled, "Archers are supposed to walk silently, not like an elephant." I grinned and said, "I don't make too much noise." Then, I started to tell her what Athena Pierce told me.

"How can that happen all of a sudden?" Sam muttered. I shrugged, "Things can happen." I held out my hand, "You coming?" She smiled and grabbed it.

"I'm coming."

**(A/N: Well, sorry it was short… Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. Sorry I haven't updated in a while, I have three stories that I try to update over the weekends. Thanks for your patience. Review!)**

**-APOLLOxx0909**

**P.S. It's my birthday today! (No joke).**


	6. Fort Victory

**(A/N: *Gets on knees on begs* Forgive me for not writing for so long! I had so many tests and I was in Virginia the last week. Well, here's my chapter. Enjoy!)**

**Chapter 6: Fort Victory**

"This place was named when the Dark Emperor had been killed by the four legendary warriors; Athena Pierce, Dances with Balrog, Dark Lord, and Grendel the Really Old," Merlin explained after John had asked a question. We were standing in front of Fort Victory. The fort was a stone castle, with towers that reached all the way up to the skies. The walls were fourteen feet thick to prevent a siege engine to break it. There were two banners that were hung next to the wooden gates. Because this fort was in Henesys, the pennant had a bow with an arrow fitted on the bowstring. The color of the banner was red with yellow outlining the streamer. There were soldiers walking at the top of the walls. Archers were posted in the towers. Cannons were seen at the back of the fort. The soldiers were ready to fight.

"But where was Kyrin?" the young pirate asked. "She's one of the job instructors, isn't she?"

"She wasn't here when the Dark Emperor reigned, she was some place else," Merlin answered.

"Open the gates!" a soldier cried out. The wooden doors creaked open slowly. Soon, the door had opened fully and we entered. The place was a regular fort, with a training ground, armory, kitchen, a small stable, and a chapel. The blacksmith was in a large room to make all the tools. The armor maker also had his own personal area. There were carts with food wrapped in a bundle. The fort had many empty spaces and there was nothing to do. We were told that we were to be attack at nightfall so we had to be prepared. We walked to the armory and chose our armor. I groaned, "Why do we need different armor? I like mine quite fine."

"It was ordered from the Commander of the Henesys Army, Jack. I don't like it either but we have to listen to him. Laws are laws," Merlin answered. "But Matthew doesn't need to change." When Sam took the lightest pair of armor, I took the second ethereal armor. It was made of light iron with blue and gold decorations embedded in the breastplate. When everyone had finished choosing their armor, we went to the training grounds.

"All right Jack, you're a new archer and we need you to get trained," Merlin said. "Aim your bow at that target." I shrugged and took out an arrow. I fitted it onto my bowstring and waited for a command.

"Now, concentrate your mana into your hands," Merlin ordered. I looked at him with a confused face. Merlin sighed and shook his head.

"Mana is what you use to cast spells. You're going to learn some skills if you want to live," Merlin explained. "Mana is all around your body, but you have to focus to get it in your hands. The skill that you are about to learn is Arrow Blow. Mana surrounds the arrow and it will cause more damage than regular arrows."

"And how do I do that?" I asked. John yawned and whispered to Matthew, probably mocking me.

"You have to answer that by yourself," Merlin said quietly, almost in a whisper. "Come, let's go. Jack need to practice on his own." Everyone left and I was alone. The training ground was quiet and the birds chirped. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, trying to "get all the mana into my hands." I looked at my arrow, but nothing had happened. I sat down and took out my spell book. It was an old book with a worn out cover and ripped pages. I opened it slowly and scanned the page. There, on the first line, was Arrow Blow. As Merlin had said, you had to move your mana to your hands and into the arrow to cast the spell. I reread the instructions over and over again. I slammed the book to the ground and pounded my fist in frustration. I stood up and grabbed my bow and arrow. I closed my eyes and concentrated. I took a deep breath and thought of nothing else. I looked at my arrow again and there was a faint glow to it. I smiled and kept trying. But it didn't go any further.

"I quit," I muttered. I put the arrow back in my quiver, grabbed my book, and walked away. In the kitchen, I saw my friends eating a snack.

"Did you finish the task I gave you?" Merlin asked as I sat down.

"No," I murmured. Merlin sighed, "Well, I can't stop you. All I wanted to do was to help you."

"It didn't help me, it angered me," I growled. Then, John and Matthew appeared munching on a cookie.

"So, great archer, how was training?" John mocked. Matthew chuckled and finished his cookie. I took out an arrow, fitted it on the bowstring and aimed it at John, "John, your pissing me off. I swear I will let go the next time."

"Drop your bow, Jack. Now," Merlin whispered. Merlin never yells when he gets angry; he's always quiet. I lowered my bow and whispered, "I'm sorry, brother. I couldn't contain the rage. I don't like when people mock me." He patted my shoulder, "No, I'm the one who should be forgiven. I'm sorry." Then, a voice was heard behind us, "Hello friends are you Merlin and his party." We looked at where the voice was coming from and saw a tall man. He had heavy armor strapped onto his body and he had a sword by his side. He had shoulder-length, brown hair and brown eyes. He was muscular and he was a handsome man. Merlin stood up and replied, "Yes we are."

"Ah, Bow Master Pierce had told me about you. It is a great pleasure to have more volunteers. By the way, I am Murdoch, the commander of this fort," Murdoch greeted. "Weren't there supposed to be two more in your group?"

"Yes, Jennie and Samantha are in the stables," Merlin answered. Murdoch nodded and said, "That's good, I thought they were dead. Well, I must go now. The other leaders need me to make battle plans. I'll see you on the battlefield." He left the room as Jennie and Sam arrived.

"Who was that man?" Sam asked. "He was-"

"Hot?" Jennie asked with a smile. Both of them giggled and Merlin explained, "He's the commander of this fort. His name is Murdoch, and he's too old for you." Merlin smiled as Jennie sighed, "I wish he was younger."

"I'm a young, hot boy," John said.

"In your dreams," Matthew laughed. Everyone laughed as a horn was blown. That was the sign when the enemy would attack.

"They're too early," Merlin muttered.

**(A/N: All right, if I put all of the war and siege in this chapter, it would be too long. Well, I know this chapter had no point, but I didn't want a battle to happen immediately, so the next chapter will have the battle. Well, forgive me again for not typing and I hope you enjoyed! Thanks!)**

**P.S. I think this chapter isn't as good as some of the others, but tell me how it was. I mean, I found it quite boring because there was no action. Please give me suggestions!**

**-APOLLOxx0909**


	7. The Bomb

**(A/N: Okay, I'm truly sorry about me not updating in like three months. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter).**

**Chapter 7: The Bomb**

We ran out of the kitchen door, hearing shouts from the captains of the army. Soldiers and archers were running around the fort like ants working on their hill. The footmen lined up behind the gates, waiting for them to open. Archers ran up the stairs to the top walls. Huge catapults were lined in the back of the fort getting ready to be fired.

"Jack, Samantha, go to the top walls and fire from there. The rest of you will follow me to the battlefield," Merlin ordered.

"Wait, why can't Jennie and John stay with us? Their weapons are ranged like ours," Sam asked.

"Jennie's throwing stars cannot go a great distance like your arrows, and that goes the same with John," the wizard answered. "Now go, we have no time to waste." Merlin gave us a light push and we saw the four run off to the gates. Sam and I started to climb the stairs to the top walls. Archers were at their posts, ready to fight but nervousness were in their eyes. Sam and I struggled to get in between the closely packed archers to see the army that we were fighting. They looked like little periods at the end of sentences. I grabbed random binoculars from the ground and looked through it. There, I saw a massive army, about our army's size and they were about two miles away. Some of the soldiers wore armor while others wore regular clothes. Spears, swords, pitchforks and other weapons glinted in the sunlight. I handed Sam the binoculars and asked, "How many do you think there are?" She took a quick glance and replied, "About five thousand is my guess."

"There's actually two thousand five hundred Victorian soldiers and three thousand five hundred civilians that were cursed out there. So around six thousand, was what the scouts had reported," a man said behind us. We turned around to see a young man with a bow in his hand. He was a tall archer with brown hair. His eyes were brown and they glinted when the light reflected off it. He was a good-looking man with a sturdy build.

"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Edward and you must be the Adventurers everyone's talking about," Edward greeted. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too," Sam replied. "I am Samantha and this is Jack." I waved with a small smile.

"Oi! Ed, got ova here!" a man shouted. Edward sighed, "I must be going now. I'll see you later, if we make it out." He walked away and disappeared into the crowd of archers. I looked back at the enemy we were facing. They were closer now, almost a mile away. I looked at Sam and her expression was a bit nervous. I held her hand with a smile, "Don't worry Sam, we'll make it out, just like the others." She gave me a small smile but didn't reply. I was a bit scared myself. I may have been in a battle before but this army was bigger than the Southperry's regiment, a lot bigger.

oOo

Another volley of arrows had rained down on us. Dead archers laid on the ground, dead and unmoving. The archers' captain was barking at his men, telling them not to give up. I fired arrow by arrow, killing many of the cursed enemies. I spotted Merlin and my other friends fighting the others. John's shots from his pistol rang in the air, loud and clear. Jennie was a blur as she fought. Matthew was fighting bravely and Merlin was being a regular wizard, casting spells, etc. Sam and Edward were firing beside me, and every arrow they shot met its mark. From behind, the catapults were releasing chunks of rocks at the enemy. The footmen were slashing and stabbing but it was not enough. At least a thousand of our men had died and the enemy still had a good amount of soldiers. I was running low on arrows and there were not many archers left to fight. The men's morale had come down and it seemed as if there was no more belief that we could win.

**Point of View:**

**Merlin**

I was fighting beside Murdoch, bringing down an enemy one by one.

"My friend, we cannot hold out much longer. These men will die fighting," I said.

"We cannot just retreat. This fort has never fallen and it will not fall today," Murdoch replied, stabbing a cursed Victorian soldier in the chest. "We must hold this fort until the four job instructors come to aid us."

"Murdoch, we have been fighting for hours and they have not come. We have only less than three thousand soldiers left to fight. They have five thousand," I growled in frustration. "I don't like to say this, but we have no hope."

"There is always hope," Murdoch whispered, running off to help a group of footmen.

**Point of View:**

**Jack**

"I'm running low on arrows!" I called to Sam. "Got any extra?" She tossed five arrows at me and replied, "Those are the last in the barrel, don't waste them." I nodded my thanks and released two projectiles, both of them meeting its mark. I only had eight arrows left, including the five Sam had given me. Another boulder from the enemy catapult created a crater in the walls, making rocks and debris fly everywhere. I ran to Sam, wrapping her in my arms to protect her. A few rocks dug into my skin but I ignored the pain. Soon, the rain of bricks had ended and I let go of Sam.

"Are you all right?" she asked as I helped her up. I nodded, even though my injuries stung badly. Then, the enemies' ladders were set up along the walls.

"Push the ladders down! Do not let the enemy get to the top walls!" the archer captain ordered. I quickly shoved the ladder out of my way and heard screams of terror and a sickening crack. Soon, the ladders were gone but new ones replaced them. I quickly filled an empty barrel with a couple broken bricks and rolled it down a wooden ladder. As I pushed the ladder down, I saw a flash of light in the distance. It was a torch and it was coming our way. I looked below and saw a pile of small round, metal objects in the shape of a sphere. _Bombs_, was the first thing that came to my mind.

"Sam, bring that man down!" I shouted, tossing three arrows at her. I pointed at the silhouette who carried the torch. She understood and aimed her arrow at the enemy. She released and we saw the silhouette stumble, but it kept moving. She released another projectile. Again, the man staggered, but the torch still waved in the air, indicating that the enemy was still alive. Sam readied her last shot, and then all went wrong. An arrow was shot and I saw Sam collapse to the ground. Before I could get to her, there was a loud BOOM! and everything went black.

**(A/N: Well, I know I repeated a lot of words, like ladder, arrow, and projectile, but that's because I couldn't find synonyms for them. I'm also sorry that I haven't updated in such a long time. I hope my writing skills hadn't gotten worse or anything. Please review and thank you for being patient!)**

**-SONofAPOLLOxx0909**


	8. The Knights of Cygnus

**(A/N: Hey guys! Well, I'm sorry for not writing up a chapter sooner, so please forgive me. Well, the title gives away what happens in this chapter. Anyway, enjoy!)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maplestory, I own this computer though.**

**Chapter 8: The Knights of Cygnus**

I got back to my feet, coughing from the pollutants in the air. Dead soldiers littered the ground and the blood…

"Sam…" I whispered hoarsely. "Sam…" There came no reply, only the screaming and crying of our soldiers. I walked around, but pain jolted through my body. I fell back down on top of a man clad in armor. His eyes were open but they showed no sign of life. I pulled myself back up, trying to see through the thick dust to find Sam. I tripped over a body, who groaned in pain, and there I had found my friend. Two arrows had pierced her armor and blood had been splattered on the ground. Debris from the explosion was tangled in her messy hair.

"Jack!" a familiar voice called. I recognized it as Matthew's. "Jack, where are you?"

"Right over here!" I called out. The warrior came stumbling and tripping over dead bodies. His thick armor was covered in blood and so was his face. He seemed to have several cuts around his body but it seemed as though Matthew did not care.

"How are you?" he asked. I nodded, "I'll be fine. Sam is the one who needs help, and fast. She's losing blood." Matthew bent down and inspected her injuries. He stood back up and tore off a dead archer's leather armor into a long strip, like a bandage.

"Pull out the arrows and I will try to stop the bleeding," Matthew ordered. I nodded, grasping one of the bloodied projectiles. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I pulled out the arrow, making Sam whimper in agony. Matthew quickly wrapped one of the strips onto the injury. I pulled out the other one and the warrior did the same process.

"That will keep her from losing blood for some time. Can you still fight?" Matthew asked. I stood up and nodded, with partially regained strength. I took a glance at my bow, which happened to be in my hand, and saw that it was snapped in half. I threw my bow down at the ground, with a slight hint of anger.

"I'll buy you a new and better one, okay? Here, just use this one," Matthew said, handing me a bow from a dead archer.

"Thanks," I replied, taking the bow. Matthew quickly placed Sam in a place where she could not be found. I turned around to see a small group of enemies that had entered through the crater in the wall. A volley of arrows flew towards us at an amazing speed. I quickly dodged several and ducked behind a pillar of stone. Matthew took out his shield and the projectiles bounced off, protecting the warrior. There were arrows, so many of them, which I saw at my feet. I quickly grabbed a handful and placed one on the bowstring. I took a deep breath and muttered, "This is it." The tip of the arrow started to give off a brilliant, blinding blue light. I came out into the open just as the enemy started to reload their crossbows. I released the shot, but the arrow had missed and dug into the dirt. I stared, appalled and with rage, for I had missed. But then something unexpecting happened; the arrow started to glow violently. I had to cover my eyes from the blinding light, and I heard a loud BOOM! The impact of the explosion had pushed me backwards, making me trip over a cart and fall onto the ground. Matthew, who only stumbled slightly, stared at me.

"Was that your arrow?" he asked. I nodded and asked, "Was that arrow blow?" He nodded, and then smiled, "That was amazing, Jack. Do that again sometime, all right?" I smiled back and nodded. But our happiness quickly faded; a catapult had launched a huge boulder which landed a few feet from us. The blow pushed me against the wall with such force, my head went numb. Dirt and other materials rained down on us. I looked at Matthew, who looked fine.

"We better get to the battlefield," Matthew recommended, "before more boulders come." I nodded in agreement and we ran to the battlefield. The stars were splashed across the night sky. _Midnight was soon to come_, I guessed, _and by that time we will have lost. _Dead bodies were piled on top of one another and the amount of those were immeasurable. The soldiers of Fort Victory were a few, and our morale was decreasing. Some of them were even dropping their weapons and running away, giving up their commitment. Merlin, my old wizard friend, ran up to Matthew and me.

"How is Samantha?" Merlin asked, with an obvious tone of nervousness.

"She fares well, Merlin, but is injured. We bandaged her major wounds, but I am afraid we can not do anything to her for now," Matthew answered. A loud crash was heard and we saw part of the fort tumbling down like a land slide. There was a heap of weathered rocks at the foot of the fort.

"We will tend to her later, for now we must hold off," the wizard replied.

"Aren't the job instructors supposed to come? We've been fighting in this hell for almost a day!" I exclaimed in frustration. "Have they abandoned us?" But my question was quickly answered. A horn blared in the distance. Merlin's face lit up with happiness, "Ah, the Knights of Cygnus have come."

**(A/N: I finished this chapter! And it's over 1,000 words, which makes me happy. Well, please forgive me for not updating in ages. Give me suggestions and yeah… All that stuff. So I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Well, you know what to do… REVIEW!)**

**-SONofAPOLLOx**


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